HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — Harris County voters spent the first week of early voting breaking records. More than half a million people have cast a ballot since the polls opened Monday, about 1 in 5 of the county’s registered voters. No midterm in county records since 1998 has started faster.

The rush began on day one. More than 104,000 people voted in person Monday, a first-day record for a midterm and more than voted on any single day of early voting in 2018 or 2022. The days that followed were nearly as busy, and each one beat the same day in both of the last two midterms.

The top of the ballot gives voters plenty of reasons to show up. John Cornyn’s U.S. Senate seat is up for grabs after Attorney General Ken Paxton beat him in the Republican primary runoff in May. Paxton faces Democrat James Talarico and Libertarian Ted Brown. Gov. Greg Abbott is seeking a fourth term against Democrat Gina Hinojosa and Libertarian Pat Dixon.

READ RELATED: Who’s on the ballot? What you need to know ahead of the 2026 midterm election

Closer to home, Harris County is choosing a new county judge for the first time since Lina Hidalgo took office. Hidalgo isn’t seeking reelection, and two former Houston City Council members, Democrat Letitia Plummer and Republican Orlando Sanchez, are running to replace her. The county judge leads Commissioners Court, which sets the county’s budget and tax rate.

What the turnout means for the results is harder to say. University of Houston political science expert Nancy Sims told ABC13 that turnout is high even in the county’s suburban, traditionally Republican areas. And because Harris County voters can vote at any location, “it’s a little hard to extrapolate,” she said. It’s too early to call anything.

The early rush is part of a longer shift. Fewer people are voting on Election Day, Sims told ABC13 earlier this month, and the county has fewer Election Day polling places this year than it did in 2022.

Part of the jump is simple growth. Harris County has about 400,000 more registered voters than it did in 2018. But even measured as a share of all voters, turnout is running ahead of every midterm on record.

The busiest place to vote this year is in Cypress. The Richard and Meg Weekley Community Center has drawn more voters than any other early voting site, passing the West Gray Multi-Service Center near downtown, which held that spot in past elections. “Cypress is a very large place,” voter Daysi Harper told ABC13.

Kingwood, Jersey Village and the HCC campus on West Loop South are among the other busy sites. The busiest centers have each checked in more than 10,000 voters. At the other end, Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church on Flagship Drive has seen fewer than 700.

Any registered voter in Harris County can vote at any of the county’s 75 early voting centers. On Saturday morning, the county’s own estimates put the wait at under 15 minutes at 67 of them.

For all the records, about 4 in 5 registered voters in Harris County haven’t cast a ballot yet. If turnout only matches the 2022 midterm, roughly 600,000 more people will vote between now and Election Day.

Mail voting is a small share of the total. Most of the mail ballots counted so far arrived on the first day, the same pattern the county saw in 2022 and 2024.

Turnout is strong across the region. In Fort Bend County, nearly 1 in 4 registered voters has already voted, a higher share than in Harris. Fort Bend voters are also picking a county judge, with Republican Daniel Wong facing Democrat Dexter McCoy. Statewide, more than 3.5 million Texans voted in the first five days.

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